


Just Off the Coast of Oregon

by Mangobunny98



Category: Mindhunter (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Gen, I'm bad at tags, They probably will, ratings and warnings might change, there will be more later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-02-27 16:41:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13252314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mangobunny98/pseuds/Mangobunny98
Summary: An "undercover" replacement that keeps Agent Holden Ford on his toes is something new to him.





	1. Qualifications and Observations

**Author's Note:**

> This is mine and the-x-dsv's first Mindhunter work she does not have an AO3 account so if you wish to go on over to her account and check her out here's her tumblr.  
> https://the-x-dsv.tumblr.com/  
> Happy Reading!

   After Holden Ford had “lost it” in the California hospital, they called Bill Tench. His partner packed up and immediately went to California to get him and bring him home. Debbie stayed away, she wanted nothing to do with him. They were broken up and she had to convince herself it was for the better. When he got to the hospital Bill was honest to god scared that something had finally snapped inside of Holden’s head. He was afraid that the crazy had really gotten to him. He was so afraid that he marched down to Edmund Kemper’s room and threatened to have him killed if he didn’t say exactly what happened. Kemper told him the events in his drawn out eloquence and with his blood boiling he calmed himself down while he slowly paced outside of Holden’s room. The IVs they had in him were helping him stay hydrated and calm, but alert enough for him to talk to Bill. Tench sat next to Holden in a chair backwards with his jacket draped across the younger one’s feet.

   Bill wanted to hear everything from Holden, even the smallest details. Even the ones he already knew. “Why did you come out here?” Bill asked in a pressuring yet soothing voice. “He-he put me as his emergency contact.” Holden said in a scared voice. “Who?” “Kemper. Ed Kemper. He tried to kill himself and he put me as his fu-fucking emergency contact. They-they called me and I got out here. And when I saw him-when I saw him-he-he-he fucking hugged me. He jumped right out of that fucking bed and fucking hugged me. Why did he hug me?” Holden said looking at Bill like he had the answers and working himself up, his breaths became panicked. “Holden, calm down. He’s across the hospital. It’s just you and me. I’m right here bud,” he said putting a hand on Holden’s chest. “What’s been on your mind lately?” He asked with concern. “Since Debbie and I br-broke up, I’ve been at home. By myself, and then work.” He said with his huge puppy dog eyes looking at Bill. “You and Debbie broke up?” He asked while he removed his hand. “Yes. She dumped me. She couldn’t keep up with me,” Holden said looking away.

   “Well that sucks man, I’m sorry.” Bill said in actual sincerity. “And I guess work has just taken its toll, ya know?” He said trying to break a small smile. “Yeah, I know. I’m going to step out and make a phone call to Nancy, check in on the family. Let her know you’re okay. I’ll be right back,” Bill said walking out and going to find a payphone. When he did, he didn’t call Nancy. He called Quantico and after a long discussion, Shepherd came to the conclusion that they needed to hire and train a replacement, but as a secret in case this got worse for Holden. Even Wendy agreed with him, which she almost never did. He hung up after they said they’d start searching and went back to the room, Holden was nearly asleep but perked up, “How are they?” Bill nodded, “Good. She’s glad you’re okay. Said you need to stay with us for a bit, just to make sure you’re really good,” Bill said laughing. “No. I can’t do that,” Holden said with an embarrassed face. “Hey don’t worry about it, we have the space you can stay in for a week or so. Just to bounce back, that and Brian likes you.” Tench shrugged his shoulders and Holden decided not to fight. “When can I get my suit back?” He asked and Bill laughed. “When we go to leave. But that isn’t until tomorrow. So rest,” he said. “You’re going to a hotel for the night, right?” Holden asked. Bill sat down and got out his book, “Yeah something like that,” he had no intentions of going to a hotel. He wasn’t leaving Holden in California again.

   Back at Quantico they were scouring the local universities and schools for anyone with any promise that could benefit the program. It came down to 10 people and they were all sent letters of application. They only received 7 back. To those they were able to weed out 2, and of the remaining 5 they began to interview them. By the time the interviews were coming around, Bill and Holden were back and working again. Bill thought Holden was doing great, better even. He didn’t want to think that they actually needed this replacement, the cover they had agreed on was that they were interviewing for an intern. They held the interviews and one stood out. Holden, Bill, Greg, Shepherd, and Wendy were all at the panel when she came in. She had a darker complexion, olive tan, black hair that flowed freely in the ponytail she had it in. She had bright blue eyes that offset her hair, she was curvy but not too thin. She was of average height maybe an inch taller than Holden, even in sensible shoes. She had high and sharp cheekbones with soft and cute dimples. She wasn’t wearing heavy makeup, rather some light foundation and mascara with the slightest hints of blush and blue eyeshadow.

   She shook their hands and they looked over the application. “I’m Daphne Reynolds.” They all introduced themselves and began with questions. “What makes you qualified to work for the FBI?” Shepherd said. “I have a drive to make a difference. I want to be able to catch the craziest of the crazy with a certain formality that only the bureau can obtain. I want to study why people do what they do and place it into the context of helping people. I believe I’m qualified because I don’t take anyone’s shit and I’m willing to step up in this new behavioral department.” She said with a small smile. This threw Greg off, scared him more like. He cleared his throat and took the next question.

   “Are there any religious or ethnic views that might inhibit you from completing a case?” He asked in a timid voice. “No sir,” she answered swiftly. Wendy took the next one, “You’re locked in a room with a notorious killer, he stands up and towers over you. He approaches you, what do you do?” She was curious as to how she would answer. “I would sit still. No need to overreact. If he was approaching me, I would treat him as any other person. No need to panic until something gives me reason to.” She answered after some thought. Holden was making observations and forgot that his question was next. “Ford? Agent Ford!” Shepherd said snapping him back to reality. “How many cats do you have? I can see the hair,” he said. She laughed, “None actually. I put it there to see if you were as good as your papers makes you out to be,” she said. Holden was taken aback by this, but continued with the questions. After quite a few more, they told her she was finished and that they would call within the week. They went home shortly after and while Bill and Holden were in the car, Bill could tell something was wrong. “Hey what’s up?” He asked, he wanted him to talk about his problems to prevent an attack. “She did that to test me. It’s bothering me.” He said looking out of the window. Bill laughed, “You need someone to keep you on your toes.”


	2. First Days and Cold Coffee

   When Daphne was at home a couple of nights later, rummaging through her fridge looking for anything remotely to eat, her phone rang. She whisked around to answer and picked up, “Hello?” “Miss Daphne Reynolds?” “This is her,” she knew the voice, it was Holden. “Hi, this is Holden Ford at the bureau. We want you for the job, when can you start?” She was a little curious as to why they would ask her when she could start, rather than tell her when they wanted her to start. “Whenever.” “Tomorrow it is, see you then.” Holden said before hanging up. She hung up the phone and turned around, then she squealed. She danced around and cheered before settling on the couch and sighing. “Goddamn, I did it,” she whispered to herself. She finally made her dinner, took a bath, and went to bed. She fell asleep and dreamed of chasing the bad guys and helping the good guys.

   Meanwhile Holden was tossing and turning, he couldn’t lie still. Every time he moved the mattress made noises and creaked. He felt bad because he didn’t want to wake up Brian, so rather than sit in the bed awake all night with that chance, he went to his Nova and sat. He thought about the feeling he got when Kemper had hugged him. How he felt trapped in a world where he wasn’t ever able to get control. Maybe that's how Kemper felt all the time. It made his chest hurt but he gripped the stationary steering wheel and counted to ten. It was something Bill had taught him to do, and it actually worked. He then thought about Daphne and whether or not she would be able to work with them. He pushed all of the thoughts from his head and sat back in the seat. He closed his eyes and soon he fell asleep listening to crickets through the cracked window.

   When Daphne woke up she showered and got ready for her first official day of work, then she left super early. She wanted to impress them so she decided to bring them breakfast. When Bill woke up he went to check on Brian and noticed that Holden wasn’t in the spare room. He checked the whole house and went outside to see if he was out there. That’s when he saw Holden in the car, wrapped in his robe. He laughed and opened the door, shaking him awake. “Get ready, you didn’t have an alarm clock out here,” Holden was up and inside almost immediately. After everyone was leaving, they got in the car and Holden was quiet, which wasn’t normal. “What’s up?” “Daphne. Is she going to be able to work and study but also coexist with you, me, Greg, and Wendy?” “Has that been on your mind?” “Yes. I like that she has goals and she’s qualified, but I don’t know about her personality.” “I’m sure she’ll get along just well. Don’t worry about it, think about yourself,” Bill said confidently.

   Holden then changed the subject and went on to talk about whether or not they had any new cases come up. “Well that principal wanted to come in, give you a piece of his mind, but they bureau didn’t even let him in the door.” Bill said while they both laughed. “And some police officer in Kentucky thinks that a guy is acting suspicious around some horses, thinks he might be fucking the horses.” “Interesting. But we aren’t checking that one out.” Holden said laughing. They pulled into the parking lot to see that Greg and Daphne were already there. They went inside and went down to their basement office, they could smell the coffee brewing everywhere. They walked in and saw that Daphne was at the coffee pot while Greg was at his desk rifling through papers.

   “Daphne you don’t have to make us coffee,” Holden said. “I didn’t make it for you guys. I wanted some so I made a whole pot.” She said with sass at the end of it. “Oh...well...thank you then,” he said walking to the machine and getting a cup for himself. Bill laughed and sat down to open an old case file to finish some paperwork and notes. They all started to discuss what they would do if they were ever caught in a mafia type situation. Holden gave the answer of complying and trying to talk them down, like he used to do to others. Greg said try to find a time and run. Bill said try to gain their trust and put himself into the mafia, while Daphne said, “Who said I’m not already in the mafia?” And they all looked at her with wild looks. “I’m kidding, lighten up.” She laughed while reading another case file to familiarize herself with what they were doing.

_Trinidad, Texas_

_She walked down the hallway, a small syringe in her apron. The nurse pulled her cap down on her head a little more and opened the door. The shallow breaths coming from the bed that held the little boy going along with the heart monitor were the only things heard. She smiled at the sleeping boy and went to the tubes he was poked with. She took out the syringe and said a small prayer before inserting the needle into the thin plastic tube and pushing all of the milky liquid out. It mixed with the other liquid and went right into his small body. She prayed while he started to convulse and shake, the foam coming from his mouth and his eyes rolling into the back of his head. She let a tear fall and prayed yet again before unplugging his tubes and machines, honoring the Do Not Resuscitate form he had. She covered him in the blankets and then covered his head, “You’re with God now, baby. Don’t you worry.” The nurse said before walking out to inform the parents of the boy. She felt accomplished yet again. She called his parents and they said they were on their way, they had been prepared for it. She then walked to a small room in the nurses lounge and added a tick mark, adding up to 5 on the inside of her locker._


	3. Old Habits and New Cases

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it feels like it's been forever since I've updated but I recently re-watched Mindhunter after taking a break from true crime and just had to update I'm planning to try to keep a regular schedule now that college has calmed down but c'est la vie!
> 
> With Love,  
> Mangobunny98

     After a couple days of falling into a routine Daphne quickly adjusted to working. She woke up every morning at six, got ready for the day and prepared what had come to be her first of many cups of coffee each day and usually ate a small breakfast of oatmeal or yogurt unless she had time or the want for a bigger meal. She had also managed to make it into the Bureau by 7:15 usually beating everybody else except sometimes Greg who got up early to help his daughters in the morning.

     Despite Holden’s insistence that she didn’t have to make coffee for everybody she continued to do so, and he eventually stopped reminding her. Even if she did mind having to make everybody coffee, she would still probably do it, Bill made it too weak for her tastes, Holden usually brought in his own coffee, and Wendy usually had tea anyways. At least if she made it, it would be the way she wanted it and the others didn’t seem to realize it, but Daphne loved coffee enough that if she was allowed, she would usually just drink it out of the carafe. She had only partially been joking when she said she usually made a whole pot for herself.

     Daphne had quickly settled in, after making coffee she would usually start reading files at her make shift desk. It was nice just to have a place to put her stuff she had worked at other places where she was lucky to share a table. They had promised her that once she had been there a bit longer and they had cleared some more clutter out of the way she would get her own proper desk. For the time being all, she mostly did was read files and take notes which didn’t sound interesting but considering the people they dealt with it was at least usually interesting. Sometimes they even let her transcribe recordings when Greg was out or needed a break. It was the only time Daphne was glad that typing classes were required for college.

    After about two weeks since starting Daphne had pretty much fallen into a concrete routine which surprised her, probably because she was expecting a bit more action, but they were a newer unit and a lot of what they did was interview killers who had already been convicted. That’s why when Shepard suddenly appeared with a grim look on his face and files in his hands, and Daphne’s heart sped up. She probably shouldn’t have been happy to see him it was unlikely that he was bringing good news especially with that look on his face, but she was just excited to finally have a chance to possibly be on the front-line of something big.

    Holden was the first to address him, “Sir?” “Listen up, I just received a call from the Des Plaines police station in Chicago and they think they’ve hit on something big. They’ve requested help from the FBI so I’m sending some people out and I think this case, if it’s what they say it is would be right up your alley. I want Ford, Tench, and Reynolds out there first thing and if it ends up being as big as they think it is, I’ll send backup.” Shepard laid the files on Holden’s desk, “As of right now you will only be there to observe and possibly assist the police, nothing more.” Shepard continued staring directly at Holden. Holden stared right back, Daphne would have to figure out what that was about later but as for right now she was just happy to be included. “Thank you, Sir” she quickly added before Shepard left, hiding the smile threatening to break through behind the file she was holding. Shepard just gave her a look and left.

    Bill sighed “Well, we better start packing if we want to catch a plane in time. Daphne, pack and meet us at the airport. Holden and I’ll meet you there.” Holden was already packing up the tape recorder and pulling his coat on. Daphne nodded her agreement and quickly started packing up ready to prove she would be able to handle cases. She saw Holden watching her and quickly winked at him, grinning when he blushed and quickly looked away. Yeah, she was going to do just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's shorter but I really like where it's headed. Bonus points to whoever guesses which case they're about to dive into!
> 
> Mangobunny98


End file.
